Bed of Nails
by wintermorgen
Summary: Koizumi Maho never thought life could be so complicated, despite being best friends with Yamamoto and being a true magnet to  trouble. But, when she meets his newest friends, and Hibari Kyouya, everything seems to turn upside down. FULL SUMMARY INSIDE.
1. Prologue

**Title: **Bed of Nails

**Rating:** T (may rise later on).

**Full summary:** Koizumi Maho never thought life could be so complicated, despite being best friends with Yamamoto Takeshi since she can remember and being a true magnet to all kind of trouble – especially hurtful ones. But, when she's introduced to the Tenth Boss of the Vongola Famiglia, and meets the troublesome yet intriguing leader of Namimori's Disciplinary Committee, Kyouya Hibari, everything seems to turn upside down to never be the same again.

**Disclaimer:** I definitely don't own _Katekyo Hitman Reborn!_ nor any of its characters (which is a shame, because I would make really good use of Yamamoto, Hibari, Mukuro and the Varia). They all belong to Akira Amano (for the time being), and I only use them to write these things I like to call "stories".

_Hello there! I will be brief. English is _not_ my mother language, but Spanish, so if there would be some__ kind of atrocious and __unforgivable __grammatical mistake__, please tell me and I will fix it. I'm truly sorry if there's any (being such a grammar freak, I search that stupid perfection…). Now, you may finally read :3  
><em>

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><p><strong>PROLOGUE.<strong>

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><p>«<em>Life<em>_ is what __happens__ to you __while__ you're busy making other plans_. »

John Lennon

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><p>"So you have come, after all," the delinquent smirked. "Koizumi Maho."<p>

The girl stepped out of the crowd, gathered in that empty street exclusively to see the spectacle.

"Did you expect otherwise?" asked her, dropping her school bag on the floor. Then, she yawned and stretched her arms over her head. "Let's try and finish this as soon as possible. I'm _tired_."

The spectators murmured among themselves, as they watched how that little girl stood in front of that gorilla of a young man, _defiantly_, awfully serene. Any other guy would have runaway for then, but she seemed almost… excited. They all had heard from Koizumi Maho. They said she was able to defeat every single foolish bastard that had dared to defy her – and those were _many_ foolish bastards who attempted to take the challenge. She _always_ beat them. No one knew much about her, indeed, but she was known throughout the entire city as the_ Green Dragon of Namimori._ She was enigmatic, she was skillful, and she was really _fast_.

"Come on, babe, we don't have all day," laughed the idiotic thug.

The girl smirked, putting on a pair of black leather fingerless gloves. "We do _not_, don't we?" Once she was ready, the huge guy charged at her with the strength of a wild rhinoceros. The crowd wasn't sure at all when she had exactly moved, but she _had_ moved. The girl had jumped _over_ the thug, sinking heavily her right feet in his neck, while using the other to impulse herself again upwards on his wide back. They couldn't believe what they just saw, but the bully on the ground seemed unconscious, a little pool of blood around his head where his nose had cracked against the hard concrete. The petite girl landed gracefully on the opposite side of the road.

"As I thought, much ado about _nothing_," she sighed, picking up her black satchel from the floor. Then, under the astonished gaze of the crowd moving away as the girl passed, she walked away.

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><p>Maho hadn't ever considered herself to be different from the rest. She only… attracted a lot of unwanted attention.<p>

She was the youngest in a small family of three siblings. There was Hideki, her older brother, and there was Madoka, her older sister. There was also Miss Minami, their sixty-years-old landlady, who had taken care of her since she was able to remember. Their parents had died five years ago in a terrible car accident when a truck had pushed them out of the road. It was a rainy night, and the trucker couldn't see the car coming. The police said they had died in the spot, but she hadn't believed it, not once, because of the dreadful nightmares that assaulted her mind in stormy nights like that one. Her siblings said they were only dreams, but Maho couldn't help it, when that happened she always woke up covered in sweat in the middle of the night, _screaming_.

Hideki was a really successful lawyer, known throughout Japan, and who often received work from the very United States of America. Hideki also was truly _handsome_. He had jet black hair, and the shining green eyes from their foreign mother. Hideki always had a word for everything, was awesome, intelligent, and _very_ overprotective regarding people around Maho. He was twenty-five.

Madoka, on the other hand, was like a fiery hurricane. She was twenty-one, and had a prestigious scholarship to study acting abroad, in California. She had worked as a model since sixteen, for her being a definitely exotic beauty. Madoka had long wavy dark hair, lightly tanned skin, and piercing grey eyes. She had an awful temper and a deep sense of pride and honor; she couldn't stand men at all.

In that environment, Maho felt _safe_ and _out of place_ equally.

Maho was currently fifteen, but there was nothing that indicated she was going to succeed in life as her brother and sister. Though she really didn't care too much. The only things she was good at were both fighting and taking pictures and, even if she liked photography much, she still was way better at battling. Her _luck_. Maho hadn't joined any of Namimori martial arts' club because she wasn't proud at all of her abilities. She had been fighting since she could remember, learning from her siblings – her family had something about knowing how to defend yourself –, and there was nothing more to tell about it.

While other girls received love letters, she received challenges. _A lot_ of written challenges every day, most of them usually from other schools, since she tried to hide her skills in Namimori. She didn't want her classmates too, to think weird about her.

It was a relief that in her school everybody wondered who _Namimori's Green Dragon_ actually was, not knowing about her, although the whole city could recognize her walking on the streets. She was doing a _good_ job hiding it all, it seemed.

Maho neither had her brother's brilliance nor her sister's grace, but she was somewhat attractive herself. She didn't know why, though. People always said that her being short for her age was something that made her _cute_, but she hated being small; she had creamy skin and soft features, much like her mother's, and she was enviably curvy despite her height, but she normally hide it all wearing always baggy shirts, jeans and military boots – which made her actually feel _taller_. Her dark chocolate hair was divided into two layers, a longer one up to the elbows, straight, and one upper, up to the chin, which tended to curl lightly. And she also had big green-grayish eyes.

Hideki was always babbling about how all the guys at her school should be going after her – for him to kill them for doing it, though –, and Madoka constantly reminded her she was beautiful. But she thought otherwise, much to their exasperation.

She wasn't too good at making and keep friends, either. Throughout her life, she just had had a real friend. His name was Yamamoto Takeshi. Her father was the owner of a sushi store near the Koizumi's house, and he was a year younger than Maho. They had been together since she could remember, so Maho couldn't imagine her life without Takeshi's reassuring smiles. They went to the Namimori Middle School, and she cheered him in his baseball matches while he did the same in her swimming competitions – because Maho was also the star member in the swimming team, since Takeshi had obliged her to join last year. Now, if she decided to quit, her teammates would _kill_ her.

Maho's life wasn't the best, and it wasn't peaceful, but she liked it. How could she know, it was going to change so soon?

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><p><em>This was just some kind of... introduction to the main character, though there's a lot more to discover about her along with the story. Maho is a <em>really_ complicated girl, I don't even fully understand her, but she's one of the most interesting characters I have ever developped and I hope she remains the object of my pride despite of my useless writer's skills. I truly hope not to destroy her personality in the following chapters._


	2. Chapter 1  Life's little ironies

_Now is when the real thing begins :3_

_Oh, and I _don't_ own Katekyo Hitman Reborn! nor any of its characters. They belong to Akira Amano, but someday I will steal the Varia away from him, along with Hibari, Mukuro and Yamamoto._

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><p><strong>CHAPTER 1. Life's little ironies<strong>

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><p>«<em>It is better to emit a scream in the shape of a theory than to be entirely insensible to the jars and inco<em>_n__gruities of life and take everything as it comes in a forlorn stupidity. _»

Robert Louis Stevenson

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><p>There weren't any clouds in the blue autumn sky when Maho exited home that morning, albeit it was already cold outside. Her favorite seasons were fall and spring, because they were like a living spiral, opposites; in spring, the flowers grew and all was really beautiful, while in autumn the trees lost their leaves in a golden rain and all was really beautiful, <em>again<em>. She also had been born in the first days of November, so she felt thrilled walking under the red and ocher tree tops.

Last week, it had been her fifteen birthday. Maho was very happy because both her brother and her sister were able to come to Namimori celebrate the day with her from across the ocean. There had been with them grumpy Miss Minami, too, who made a delicious chocolate cake, and Takeshi, of course, who gave her a lovely silver necklace with the kanji for _courage_ in a small pendant – she hadn't took it off since then. Hideki had bought her tickets for The GazettE next concert in April, and Madoka brought her from Los Angeles a special pack with all the _Batman_ movies – one of her secret obsessions. They had eaten and they had laughed, but the next morning her siblings had had to come back to their own lives, and Maho had been left all alone again.

"We're not a family anymore," she whispered as she closed the front door.

She sighed, and enjoyed for a few silent seconds the cold atmosphere. It was going to snow one of those days. She could tell because of the smells that filled the wind, as strange as it sounded. She always knew when it would rain, or when it would snow.

The gentle breeze played with the longest strands of her hair while Maho jogged happily toward Yamamoto's family sushi restaurant. It was a modest store, which had become really popular in Namimori and was on the very corner of her street. Every morning Maho passed by on her way to school and they walked together. But today she had left home a little earlier, because Takeshi had said he wanted to introduce Maho to his new friends.

So there she was, yawning while she waited for Takeshi to finally appear. At that moment, he stuck his head out the window of his bedroom – which was directly placed above the restaurant.

"Hey, Maho!" he exclaimed. "I'm sorry I made you wait. Don't go away, I'm coming down!"

Yamamoto Takeshi was, indeed, the complete opposite of Maho. He was _so_ tall where she was that small. He was amazingly popular, though she often was all by herself. He was cheerful and optimistic, while she always seemed pensive and somewhat indifferent about the people around her. He also was genuinely good-looking, Maho _could_ tell that, and she felt insignificant near to him. Takeshi _always_ had a smile for _everyone_. He always was _there_ for you.

Five minutes later, they were headed towards Namimori Middle School looking forward to meet up with Takeshi's friends somewhere along the way. He had been talking about them for some days now and Maho felt awfully curious – they seemed to be weird people, _really_ weird people.

"Oi, Yamamoto-kun!" yelled someone behind them.

"Good morning, Tsuna! Good morning, Gokudera!" greeted Takeshi, waving a hand in the air.

Maho turned around and saw two boys walking towards them from across the street. She recognized Sawada Tsunayoshi, a clumsy classmate of Takeshi which she had heard a lot of confusing things about. He had helped him when he broke his arm some weeks before during baseball practice and he tried to jump off the school rooftop. That morning, she had stayed in home with a fever, and she felt awfully for not been there when her best friend had tried to commit suicide. The other boy, with silky silver hair and a face who looked like in a perpetual bad mood, didn't seem familiar at all, though maybe she had seen him around school. There was also what looked like a baby…, wearing a black suit and a fedora hat, with a yellow pacifier around the neck and a chameleon on top of his head. Now, that _was_ weird.

"Ciaossu!" the baby said, much to her surprise.

When they reached them, the three stared at Maho until she began to feel uncomfortable.

"Yamamoto-kun, is she a friend of yours?" asked that Sawada boy, smiling widely. He seemed kind and somewhat sympathetic, but Maho didn't like to accept people so easily – plainly, she didn't like to accept people. But she would make an exception, only for the sake of Takeshi. The silver-haired boy kept looking at her as if she was some piece of garbage that would have stuck to his shoes. That strange baby seemed interested, almost as if he was _analyzing_ her.

"Yep!" exclaimed Yamamoto, with one of his bright smiles. "Guys, this is Maho, my best friend since _ever_! Maho, these are my newest friends, Tsuna, Gokudera, and the little one is Reborn!"

Maho made a brief bow and tried to smile. "Koizumi Maho, nice to meet the three of you."

"Nice to meet you, too, Maho-sempai," said Tsuna, bowing respectfully.

"Hn," muttered contemptuously the one called Gokudera. "Don't you dare come too near to the Tenth, or you will just have to confront me, woman." Maho just glared at him.

"_The Tenth_?" she repeated, confused.

"Haha! He means Tsuna, here. We are in some sort of _rol game_, you know? Where Tsuna is like a mafia boss, and we are his subordinates. It's really cool, actually," said Yamamoto, smiling.

Then, that little kid named Reborn talked, surprising her again.

"Ne, Yamamoto, do you think Koizumi-sempai would like to join our family?" he unexpectedly wondered. Both Tsuna and Gokudera looked at him with surprise written all over their faces.

"Sure!" exclaimed Yamamoto, thrilled, and took Maho by her thin shoulders. "Maho here, she's a _genius_ when it comes to fighting." They looked at her with new interest. "Really, she's simply _amazing_. Maho, you should join us! It would be even funnier!"

"No," she said plainly, walking past them headed to the school. "Come on, Takeshi, otherwise we will be terribly late."

The boys looked at their watches, and ran. The girl was right, damn, they were _already_ late!

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><p>Maho looked out the window, and sighed. Math class was <em>so<em> boring, she couldn't even come to describe _how_ boring it was. Goddess, she hated numbers!

Her mind had kept wondering about those new friends of Takeshi for a few hours now. She felt something wasn't right about them, but maybe it was because they were _that_ weird, and there was that baby. He had given her a really strange feeling. But, then again, Takeshi expected her to be kind to them, and smile, and be such a nice girl. She _wasn't_ a nice girl, but Takeshi didn't know it. Maho had wanted to thank Sawada Tsunayoshi for helping her best friend, but she had forgotten everything when that mafia game and the mere mention of fighting had come to light. Now, she would have to see them again.

Maho was in class _3-B_.

She had always thought there were some interesting people in her class – besides _her_. In front of her sat a shy body named Irie Shoichi, who was a genius with technology and hoped to someday become a musician. Maho used to play games with him during some classes with their backs to the teachers, and a friendly girl named Himura Aiko, who absolutely loved photography. Maho occasionally talked with her, and spent the breaks together, when Aiko wasn't with her repellent group of friends – and, goddess, those girls _were_ repellent. But the most intriguing thing ever in that class was that everlasting empty seat at the back of the classroom, which by chance was just the one at her right side. She had never seen anyone sitting there since the course had begun but Maho knew belonged to someone. It was somewhat _mysterious_.

Maho liked to sit in the very back of the classroom, where the teachers couldn't see her, because she spent most of the time looking out the window or scribbling drawings in her notebooks. She enjoyed watching peacefully the nature, and the birds crossing the sky, at least better than heard about systems of equations.

She sighed again.

When the bell rang and the class ended, Maho saw Aiko approaching her with a smile.

"Hey there, Maho-chan," she greeted.

"Aiko-chan," Maho replied, smiling lightly. "How have your weekend been?"

"Awfully boring, thank you," she laughed. Then, she hesitated. "Hum… I was wondering if you would like to hang out with us during lunch break. You know, with Hina, Shizuka and Midori."

Maho's face suddenly turned sad. She really liked Aiko, but she would never be able to become her true friend while the girl kept going with these _brainless_ _whores_. Because they truly were brainless whores, especially Matsumoto Hina. That girl had loathed Maho since they had met in elementary school, and still had a thing against her, although she hadn't done anything at all. So now Maho couldn't be friends with Aiko because of Hina. Oh, that was _great_.

"Thanks a lot, Aiko-chan, but, you know, I told you I can't go with your group," she murmured. "I'm sorry but, please, have fun without me."

Then, she took her things and left the classroom before could see the expression on Aiko's face.

Maho walked around the corridors without knowing where to go. She thought about looking for Takeshi and eat lunch with him so she could actually talk with someone, but he was nowhere in sight. Finally, she decided to go to the roof and, such was her _luck_, that there were Takeshi and his new weird friends. But for then, she had already eaten her cheese sandwich.

"Maho-sempai!" exclaimed Tsuna when they saw her.

"Hi Sagawa-kun, Gokudera-kun, Reborn-san," she said, not knowing at all how to address the peculiar kid. "Takeshi, I was looking for you, you know? Where the _hell_ were you?" Obviously, he had been with his new group. She didn't like at all the feeling of been excluded of his life. Was it because she _wasn't_ there _that day_…?

"I'm _so_ sorry, Maho," Yamamoto said, joining his hands in supplication. "Please, forgive me."

"Hum… I will have to think about it," Maho replied, crossing her arms over her chest. She wore a black sweater over the uniform, because the white shirt stressed too much her _attributes_.

"Oi, come with us, Maho!" he suddenly exclaimed, excited. "Reborn has had this great idea, and we were going to inaugurate our new _secret base_!"

"A _hideout_," corrected Gokudera, eyeing menacingly at Yamamoto.

"Secret base? Hideout?" she inquired, arching a thin eyebrow. "And, where would that be?"

"In the reception room," Reborn answered himself, walking ahead.

"Reborn says it's a great place nobody uses," explained Tsuna, while the four of them followed the baby through the halls.

Maho seemed reflexive since Reborn had said that, but didn't say anything. She almost was sure there had been some kind of rumor about the reception room going around lately, but she wasn't positive. Since Tsuna and she walked the latest of the group, she took the opportunity to talk to him, since Takeshi couldn't hear them from his position next to Gokudera and Reborn.

"Hum… Tsuna-kun, I have been wanting to say something to you for a while now," Maho began. The boy looked at her almost puzzled.

"What did you want to say to me, Maho-sempai?" he asked.

"Well, you see, I…" It wasn't as easy as she had thought it would be. Maho closed her eyes for a second, then breathed deeply. "I wanted to thank you for helping Takeshi when…, you know, when he tried to… kill himself. He has been my best friend nearly since we both learned how to walk. God, my life without him would be empty at all, since he is all I have. And I wasn't there to do what you did that day, so… Tsunayoshi-kun, I mean it. _Thank you_, thank you very much."

Maho wrapped him in a strong hug, which ended almost as soon as it had begun, and they continued walking before Gokudera decided to pounce against her for touching his beloved _Tenth_. She turned her face to the side, blushing. She wasn't used at all to physical contact, but she had felt as if she actually had to do it, _hug_ him, to prove her words of gratitude. But now the two of them were walking horribly slow, with their faces as red as a tomato.

Finally, the group reached the door to the reception room, in the ground floor of school. Takeshi was about to open it when, all of a sudden, Maho felt a dreadful shiver travel down her spine.

"Hehe, I didn't think we had such a nice room," he laughed, turning the knob.

"No, wait―!" But it was too late. The four of them watched Yamamoto, who seemed paralyzed in the doorway, looking intently at something that was inside. They opened the door a bit more, until the room came to sight.

There was someone in there.

The occupant was a young man who, for sure, was somewhat older than all of them. He was tall – nothing like Takeshi, but something closer to Gokudera – and slim. He had fair skin, and graceful features with almost gave him a menacing appearance, especially his eyes: bluish, cold and slanted. His black hair fell straight and casually over her forehead and up to below his ears. But what _really_ caught her attention, was the aura of darkness that seemed to surround him. She felt almost scared, although the guy hadn't done anything… for now.

"_Who_ are you?" His voice sounded deep _and_ sharp.

Maho looked at him, trying to remember where she might have seen him before, while Takeshi seemed to recognize him the moment he saw the guy. He looked as serious as she remembered _ever_ seeing him be.

"_What_ is he?" asked their silver-haired friend.

"Gokudera, wait―," Yamamoto murmured.

"Would you put off your cigar in front of the Disciplinary Committee president?" the scary young man inquired, almost smirking. "Well, either way, I won't let _any_ of you get away."

"What the hell, you _bastard_―!" Gokudera yelled, furiously. He sure had a temper.

Maho didn't know if the rest had seen him, but she _did_ see him. The guy had moved _really_ fast, almost as fast as she was able to move. In one single movement, he was in front of them, and in the next quick movement, Gokudera's cigarette disappear from his mouth – at least, _half_ of it.

"Put it off," he had said, but they weren't up to hear it. They were amazed, and a bit frightened.

Then, Gokudera seemed to react, awaking the rest of them. Maho blinked, then she frowned.

"_What_ is he?" he repeated.

Yamamoto stood still in the doorway, seemingly to protect _her_ from the menacing young man. Gokudera was, however, the one who was standing before him face to face, glaring daggers at him. But something was wrong, and Maho didn't like that feeling at all. She drew the attention of Yamamoto by tugging at his shirt.

"Takeshi, you better tell me what's going on," she whispered, trying not to be heard. "Now, tell me. _Who_ is that guy?"

He gulped, whispering as well. "He's… the president of the Disciplinary Committee, and ruler of the delinquents. His name is Hibari," he explained to her. "I've heard of him, you know. If he had people he doesn't like, no matter who they are, he will beat them up with his _tonfas_. Please, Maho, just _run_! I will distract him while you escape!"

"Takeshi, I will _not_ escape," she said out loud. That Hibari guy looked intently at her. Then she saw his hands grasping tightly those oh-so-called metallic tonfas she was supposed to fear.

He smirked darkly. "I really hate weak herbivorous animals that form groups," he said. "Whenever I see them, you know… I _really_ want to bite them to death."

Tsuna, who didn't seem to understand the situation at all, took a step ahead, walking out of line and looking around him at the room's furniture.

"Whoa, it's my first time being in the reception room!" he exclaimed.

"Wait, Tsuna―!" cried Yamamoto…, _too_ late. Hibari charged instantly against him, hitting him hard in the head with one of his tonfas. Maho thought she had seen some blood before the poor boy was sent flying to the opposite corner inside the room. Gokudera's reaction was immediate.

"One."

"Bastard, I'LL KILL YOU!" he yelled, and, as soon as the last word left his mouth, Hibari was right there, in front of him. He swung his silver weapon, and hit Gokudera in the head, pushing him against the near wall, where he fell to the floor.

"Two."

Takeshi gritted his teeth, angry. "You _punk_…!"

Hibari ran to him, but Yamamoto eluded his blows with surprising agility. It was rather impressive even for Maho, hidden securely behind him. Then, the teenager smirked.

"Are you injured?" he wondered. Maho gulped. "You seem to be protecting your right hand."

That was enough to decentralize the baseball lover, and Hibari released an accurate kick to his stomach, throwing Yamamoto backwards, when he hit hard the wall just beside her. It was in that exact moment that Maho seemed to react, almost as if she hadn't been awake all that time. She looked at her best friend, unconscious at her feet, and then she looked at Gokudera, and at Tsuna, both of them lying on the ground. Maho's greenish eyes met the guy's – to her, they were an obscure misty blue –, and he didn't look away. Hibari just smirked darkly, eyeing her.

"… Three." He took a step forward. "Let's go for the four, then. Will you runaway, as that pathetic herbivore friend of yours just advised you? You could try, you know… but I would still catch you and _bite_ you to death!"

"_Okay_," she declared, and the boy frowned slightly, somehow stunned. "Go ahead, _bite me_."

He charged against her, and she simply exploded. Maho nimbly ducked, avoiding the first blow, and she instantly read the movements of the prefect. He released a hit to her right side and the girl spun around to avoid the attack, and, at the same time, threw a low kick with her leg that threw the teenager to the ground. Hibari seemed surprised for a long second. Maho seized that moment to pass over him, bending just enough to snatch one of his tonfas, and she gave him a definitely defiant look from the other side of the room. That _really_ had caught him by surprise.

She was barely breathing hard.

Hibari half-smirked quickly standing up, wielding his remaining silver weapon. He was darkly _delighted_ by the unexpected turn of the events. The young man looked at the girl, striking a defensive pose with one of _his_ tonfas. He had thought she was same kind of 'doll-face' needed of the protection of those useless friends of hers to confront the world and, now that he knew for sure she wasn't one, he wouldn't commit the same mistake twice. That girl knew how to battle, Hibari could tell, and he suddenly wanted to find out just _how_ good she was at doing it.

He didn't waste time, and run towards her. Maho moved in time to block the abrupt attack with her own weapon – the sound of metal on metal reverberated against the white walls. Their faces were just inches apart, while they both put all their strength in pushing the other while holding almost stubbornly their own tonfas. His steel blue eyes piercing hers.

Maho flinched under the tense pressure, and he was able to see she wouldn't resist that for much time.

"You have erupted here without my permission…," the president of the Disciplinary Committee unexpectedly accused.

"And _you_ have attacked us without reason!" Maho yelled, gritting her teeth while putting all her force in that seemingly endless struggle.

"… and you are breaking the dress code."

"_What_?"

"You are altering the aesthetics of the school by wearing the uniform _improperly_," he replied.

"Dear Goddess, _bite me_," Maho almost rolled her eyes.

"With pleasure," he darkly smirked.

"That sounded pretty _perverted_, you know?" she replied, and flinched again under his strength.

Maho knew she couldn't resist the struggle any longer. That violent guy had more strength than her, and her arms seemed to weaken more and more each passing second. For all she knew, she had only two options: first, to loosen their struggle and surrender to him, which probably would result in her badly hurt – physically and mentally – and would only mean she was unable to protect anyone, and, second, to run leaving her friends behind in a desperate attempt of runaway from that psychopath. Maho didn't like _either_. Not at all.

He sensed her debilitated strength, and pushed further against the girl weapon – _his_ weapon. She was forced to kneel by the throbbing pain in her shoulder, which also descended down her back. Maho bit her bottom lip, stifling a sudden scream.

She couldn't believe it, she had beaten every single teenager in that damn city! From _where_ had this sadistic guy come out? He was powerful. He was almost as fast as her, and he was stronger.

It was at that moment that Koizumi Maho found herself in a _serious_ predicament.

_She had found someone she could not defeat_.

From her position kneeling on the carpeted floor, Maho looked defiantly into his stormy eyes. Maybe it seemed some gesture of resistance, but the truth was her vision was starting to cloud. Maho closed her eyes, feeling the metal sliding in between her hands… She couldn't continue.

He almost looked disappointed.

Hibari grabbed his tonfa in the air, and was about to definitely finish her – despite her already being wincing in pain on the ground – when he was distracted by an unexpected yell.

"GOKUDERA-KUN! YAMAMOTO-KUN! MAHO-SEMPAI!" Tsuna exclaimed. "W-Why!"

"They won't wake up," Hibari calmly said, not even bothering to look at that weak kid. "Suit yourself here…, I'm going to call an ambulance for them." And with that, he turned around and stepped to the desk, where he picked up the telephone and began to dial a phone number.

"_Wh―_!" Tsuna felt petrified there by the fear.

He didn't know what to do, seeing all his friends unconscious on the ground. He began to panic. Then, he noticed Reborn climbing out from the window, pointing at him with his gun. Before he could react, the Dying Will Bullet pierced his forehead.

Hibari turned just in time to see Tsuna charging at him – eyes white, clothes lying on the floor, enraged.

"_I'LL BEAT YOU UP AS IF I WERE TO DIE_!" the boy shouted out.

Hibari dodged his punch with no problem. "What's that, a gag?" he inquired, hitting Tsuna hard on the chin with his tonfa. The poor kid seemed immobile. "Did I break your chin? Well, I have to beat up the other two so they can get on the ambulance, too… And then I will _finish_ the girl." He smirked, and turned his back to him but, as soon as he turned around, Tsuna stood up and hit Hibari roughly on the head. He staggered and, before he could restore his balance Tsuna hit him again... with a _slipper_.

Hibari stumbled towards the window. He leaned against the wall, and glared at him from under his smooth black bangs.

"Hey…" the scary young man murmured. "Can I kill you?"

The voice which came from the window interrupted them. "That's enough. You're strong after all. _Both_ of you, as I thought," Reborn said, eyeing the inanimate girl near the black leather sofa.

"I don't know who you are, but I'm very much irritated right now," Hibari indifferently replied. "Would you sit there and wait for me?" Then, he ran to the baby, who easily blocked his blow.

"_Wow_, you're amazing," the prefect quietly said, half-smirking.

"Let's break up!" Reborn exclaimed, suddenly wearing sunglasses and with a huge bomb in his little hands. "_Bye-be_!"

Hibari didn't react in time.

* * *

><p>Maho woke up on the roof of the school. It took her a while to realize what had happened, and that both Takeshi and those <em>freaks<em> that she still didn't trust were there. Her arms felt awfully numbed, and Maho winced as she slowly sat up.

The guys didn't realize she was awake, so she was able to hear the weird things that baby said. It had been supposed to be some sort of training session. _All_ of it. Entering the reception room and provoking the short-tempered president of the Disciplinary Committee into a battle, the four of them being defeated, and Tsuna trying to beat up Hibari. That was… _crazy_.

Maho felt almost cheated but, over it all, she felt sad.

Then, she sent away from her thoughts when Tsuna began to freak out about Hibari going to get his steel eyes on them now that they had pissed him off, and Gokudera cried out loud he would beat him up the next time. Maho saw the peculiar baby looking at one particular window in the next school building and, following his gaze, she saw nothing more and nothing less than Hibari looking intently at them from the reception room.

Feeling those stormy eyes on hers, Maho felt a shiver roam down her spine and it was then that she _knew_ something was definitely beginning to change inside her.

* * *

><p><em>Well, now you know how a freak little Maho is. But she is so cute, and sturborn, and naïve! I just want a Maho plushie :D<em>

_I don't fully know how this entire thing will continue at all, although I have an awful lot of ideas and a few chapters planned (a pair of them written), so don't blame me if things seem awkward... 'cause anytime I re-read these chapters, everything seemes to become crazier. Maho is a bit... weird. But her siblings are even weirder. All my OCs are _so_ weird. I am weird. But I'm happy, so... yay! Really, don't pay attention to me._

_Thanks a lot for reading this! Here's a preview of chapter two:_

"_Where_ do you think you are going?"

"Koizumi Maho […] you are breaking the dress code, _again_."

"What you're saying is that I will become stronger? […] And this will almost certainly be _dangerous_, right?"

**Did anyone actually care about who _she_ was?**


End file.
